Make Connections. Build Relationships.

Tonight was a monumental night in my life.

Okay, so maybe not monumental, but I did have a huge realization: I'm making connections and building relationships.

Making connections might not seem out of the ordinary for you, and it's not really out of the ordinary for me. But tonight I realized how important those connections are.

As many of you know, 2 years ago I accepted a job in Arkansas working for a family friend at his furniture company. I was the manager of the show room, and I worked 8 hours a day in the store by myself. Then I went home to an empty apartment, and spent more time alone. I was attending a church of 7,000+ people, and sitting in service by myself. I was craving connections! I wanted so badly to have friends I could just call up and say "Hey, I'm bored. Want to hang out tonight?" But I didn't have those friends. I hadn't made connections. Yet.

Fast forward to tonight, two years later, and I have made so many connections that now I'm the person that runs into someone they know everywhere they go! Two things triggered this epiphany. First, a friend posted on Facebook and asked if anyone had a hairdresser in town and I was able to make a recommendation. And second, I was invited to come to a women's ministry planning meeting to discuss options for women's gatherings in the upcoming year.

I have a hairdresser (which is a commitment). And I have friends here that I can recommend my hairdresser to. I've made enough connections that I can make recommendations and have people to make these recommendations to. That's a huge step up from where I was 2 years ago!

And then there's the women's ministry meeting. I was invited to this event to come share my story about connecting with other women at our church, and to share my opinion about what events we can plan for the future.

For those of you who know me, more often than not, sharing in this type of a group setting is a very difficult thing for me. When it's people I don't know well, it takes me several minutes to work up the courage to talk, and my face starts burning and I can feel the heat start near my jaw and work its way all the way up to the tips of my ears. Tonight, in this group of women I barely know, that was not the case. I felt comfortable, because we were connecting over something we are all passionate about: connecting women with other women.

Two years ago, I never thought I'd be this connected in my community, and I definitely didn't think I'd be helping others get connected. I was barely staying afloat in just trying to make a couple of friends, so coming to a place where I would be the connection point for others seemed impossible.

All of this to say that sometimes the thing that seems impossible, the thing that causes you the greatest anxiety, the thing that you think you'll never succeed at, the thing that you want to give up on completely, that those things are NOT impossible. They are such an important part of your story, and who you are! Keep pushing through these monumental mountains, and share your story along the way, and when you get to the other side! Expose the deepest parts of your heart. Share things that you might think are trivial. This is what allows us to connect with others and build a community of people who care for each other. You are not alone, so be bold and share with others. Put yourself in situations that take you outside your comfort zone. Be brave and have some faith that God will bring you through it. Trust Him to provide the people you need in your life, and He will provide. He did for me!

Things I've Learned Since Moving to Arkansas: Part 2

While the last post about the things I've learned in Arkansas is true, there's a lot more that I have learned since being here. And this time it's not the superficial, trivial things. This is what I've learned about myself.

• I used to think I was a complete introvert. Since living by myself in a state where I know very few people, I have learned that I am not completely introverted. I do have at least a small bit of an extroverted side...sometimes! I just know that I need to be with people because I enjoy getting to know others and spending time with them.
• I need people in my life to keep me accountable, otherwise I would eat donuts every day and watch tv until my brains fell out...and I'm not kidding! I've had to learn to eat healthy, and dedicate at least some time to going to the gym each week. I have watched too many TV series to count (and definitely more than I'd like to admit). 
• I am on social media WAY too much! I look through my newsfeeds every day, and think to myself, this is boring, why am I on *insert social media here*? I've already seen this stuff. Yet I continue to look through it. Every. Single. Day. 
• I need to be more brave. Because I tend to think of myself as an introvert, it's hard for me to go do things by myself. I always want to have at least one person with me that I know so I don't feel alone. I have changed this some since moving to Arkansas. I've gone to events and out to eat by myself, which I would never have done in the past. 
• I am craving growth in my spiritual life. Since getting connected at a church here in Arkansas, I have devoted time to community group, Bible study, Sunday morning church service, Sunday School, and a mentorship program. I want to grow in my walk with the Lord. 
• My family and friends are so important to me, and I can't wait for the next time I'll get to see them. I knew that before I left, but I didn't know that I would miss them this much. 

These are just a few of the things I've learned about myself since being in Arkansas. I truly believe that God orchestrated these desires to know Him better to come right at this time when I'm trying to figure out who I am, not only as my own individual person, but in Him. 

I've had to learn that my value comes from Him alone and not from anyone else's opinion of me (which I have been super aware of because I'm trying to put myself out there and get to know people). I've also learned that I care, way too much. I was telling a friend just the other day, that I care what the person in the car next to me at the stoplight thinks about me (does that lady think my hair looks bad? I just scratched my nose, I hope she doesn't think I was picking it! Oh, that guy probably thinks I'm conceited because I just checked my makeup in my mirror.) I'm not kidding - these thoughts actually go through my mind! 

But you know what?! Who cares!? God loves me. He cares about me. He provides for me. He died for me! What else can I ask for!? 

God is continually growing me and changing me. He is guiding me along this very direct path that He had planned for me, even before I was born. And He wants me to grow closer to Him. 

So, that's exactly what I'm going to do. I am going to keep getting to know my Heavenly Father on a personal level, and I'm going to strive to be more like Him every day! 

Checked Oklahoma Off the List

This morning I slept in as late as I could, and that was only 9 am. I slowly dragged myself out of bed, just wanting to sit around and do nothing. I watched a couple of episodes of TV, thinking to myself that I would just take a nap right there on the couch and watch TV all day.

Then, out of nowhere, I suddenly had the impulse to just go do something, something I'd never done before. My show on Netflix ended and the "Continue Watching" button just stared at me on the TV screen. I was Googling things to do.

Slight rabbit trail (it is related, I promise). I have this goal on my bucket list. I want to visit all 50 states before I turn 50. But in order for it to count as me visiting it, I have to actually do something there. Driving from California to Arkansas, I crossed through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and finally arrived in my new home state. I stayed overnight in both Arizona and New Mexico, but just drove straight through Texas and Oklahoma, so I don't really count those as having visited them.

So, in my random urge to have an adventure today, I decided that I was going to check Oklahoma off of my bucket list. And that I did!

I quickly got ready and hopped in the car, put on GPS and some country music! An hour and a half later, I arrived in Grove, Oklahoma. I took fun backroads to get there (probably not the shortest route, but definitely fun!), didn't mind how long it took, and just enjoyed the scenery.

I even took the time to park on the side of the road and take a selfie with the Oklahoma state sign!

My final destination was the Har-Ber Village. It's a museum that shows what it was like to live in the 1800s and early 1900s. But, since I was hungry, of course I had to find a hole-in-the-wall place to stop and eat!

I chose the cafe at the entrance to the museum. It was tiny, and run by just a couple of people. It was called the Back Porch Cafe. Let me tell you, that was one darn good burger and some of the best sweet potato fries I've ever eaten!

They even gave me honey to dip my sweet potato fries in - it was DELICIOUS! 

After eating, I drove over to the museum. Since I was in no hurry, I meandered around the entire village (the museum was set up like a village with pieces of history in each stop). The map consisted of 102 stops to make. I think I probably walked 2-3 miles just looking around the whole place. There were cabins set up like people in the 1800s lived, there was a dentist office, a post office, a school room, and even the gallows. There were exhibits showing vehicles used during that time, dishes and cookware used, common clothing items worn, and the list could go on and on! All in all, the trip was fun and adventurous! I spent a couple of hours wandering around, enjoying the history around me, and experiencing humidity like I never had before! It was fun to get out, check something off my bucket list, enjoy being outside (even though it was hot), and to do something I normally wouldn't do by myself! 

Oklahoma. Check. 

Har-Ber Village

The village was built to emulate the life that these two had. Their names were Bernice and Harvey Jones. 

US Mail delivery cart

The beautiful lake

The school house

Local church

Of course, when the kids area has a ladder to climb, one must climb it! 

And hit your head on the ceiling when you get to the top! Replication of a small room upstairs.

And you must take a selfie with a cow statue! 

Covered wagon

If you take a selfie with a cow, you have to take one with the horse statue, too! 

The gallows

The courtroom

Selfie in the courtroom

 Saw some fawns on my way out

And had to take a picture with good ol' Harvey and Bernice!

Things I've Learned Since Moving to Arkansas

I have learned a great deal of things since moving to Arkansas. Here are a few of those things: 

• NWA stands for Northwest Arkansas, and everyone refers to being from NWA rather than the exact city you live in. 
• Everyone calls you ma'am, regardless of their age or yours. 
• Most women either dress very classy, or they dress like they just came from the gym...there's not much in between. 
• Some people here call coffee shops "labs" i.e. the Onyx Coffee Lab

• Arkansas drivers are very, very cautious drivers (at least compared to Californians). When the speed limit is posted at 70 mph, they drive 65. And many tend to stop a full cars length behind the (*imaginary*) line at the stoplight. And yes, they are "imaginary" lines....most stoplights don't even have lines to stop behind.
• Every place I've been in has road construction...and only about 50% of the time are people actually there working on the road. The other 50% of the time you just have to drive between the cones and over the major potholes they're working on fixing.
• I knew that Tyson had to kill a lot of chickens to feed Americans so many different varieties of chicken - chicken nuggets, chicken breast, chicken legs, chicken strips, chicken tenders, chicken wings, and the list goes on. I just didn't think I realized just how many chickens they actually kill. I seriously see a dozen or more of these trucks filled with chickens drive by the store every day! 

• Since the Walmart headquarters are here, Walmart is actually a nice place to shop - and that's where I do most of my grocery shopping. The shopping carts are all nice without wobbly wheels, the store is clean, and the people are super friendly! It's actually a store I want to go to! 
• Again, since the Walmart headquarters are here, they are trying new things out in our area, like Walmart gas stations, with the cheapest gas I've found yet! They're also trying the Walmart Neighborhood Market - which I personally think is the best creation ever! It is a miniature Walmart that just has groceries and a small selection of cosmetics, paper goods, medicines, and beauty/hygiene products. AND even better than that, they have giant cups for just 88 cents and you can get Icees, sodas and sweet tea!
• Oh yeah, and they have sweet tea everywhere! SERIOUSLY!
• Lightning storms are really a thing - and they happen all summer long. So is humidity...85 degrees has never felt so warm to me! 

• Just because the Duggars live in the same city as me does not mean I run into them everywhere I go....I have been here for 8 weeks and have yet to see any one of them.
• Lightning bugs and June bugs are a real thing! Refer to the pictures below! (no, I did not catch that lightning bug, but I will catch one sometime!)

    

• Everyone is super friendly and hospitable. 
• NWA has a TON of churches! 
• In California I was called a Californian, so I assumed people here were called Arkansonians....um, wrong. They're called Arkansans. 
• When people said to me "You're moving to Arkansas? You're going to have culture shock!" they didn't know that in NWA, I wouldn't really have culture shock. I'm told, however, that I would probably have culture shock if I went to the southern part of the state. I have yet to experience that. 
• You must be a Razorback fan. If you don't know what the Razorback is, refer to the picture below. 

I'm sure the list of things can go on and on, but those are just a few of the things I've learned since being here! I'll be sure to share some more when I learn a whole lot more! 

Lauren 

Moving to Arkansas: My Story in Pictures

Many of you have been asking and wondering about my move to Arkansas. The update is I LOVE IT HERE! It's beautiful and I've found a great place to live, I'm getting connected at a church already, I love my job, and so much more! It's great!

The brief update is that I was working 3 jobs before I left California. In 2 short weeks, I finished all 3 jobs. I finished work at Simpson on Friday, April 24, attended Simpson's graduation on Saturday, April 25 (where some of my closest friends graduated), left for Arkansas on Sunday, April 26. I drove for 3 days straight with my mom, and arrived late Tuesday, April 28. Wednesday morning, April 29 was my first day on the job at James+James! It has been a whirlwind since then!

I got here and hit the ground running! I was introduced to some people by friends of mine who live here currently, and have been getting involved at a church with one of the girls and in a Bible study as well! I've loved the community that I'm already finding, and I am definitely enjoying my time here!

I drove halfway across the country with just my carload of items, and the rest of my stuff is getting shipped to me later this week! I can't wait to have all of my stuff here and to put it all up in my apartment!

I will give you the picture version of the journey so far!

Thanks for all of the love and encouragement I've received since I've been here! I've so appreciated it!

Goodbyes Are the Hardest

Hanging out with a few of my favorites; one last indoor soccer game to watch before I left

Last day at Black Bear Diner

Saying goodbye to this little cutie, Levi

One last team hangout with my El Salvador mission team - where better to hang out than at Coldstone for some ice cream?

To my most dear friend, LP! After so many years of L-Dub and LP dates

Squeezing in some time with the sweet Lindsay

Saying goodbye to one of my newer friends, but still so very dear to my heart

One last girls hang out for breakfast with the 4 from junior high school 

Saying goodbye to Dianne

Saying goodbye to Karla

Saying goodbye to one of the most amazing bosses, who has loved me and supported me through 5 years at Simpson - I've been so incredibly blessed by you, Beth!

The Advancement team took me out to lunch to say goodbye! 

Saying goodbye to Andre - one of the El Salvador team members! So proud of him and the team! 

Goodbye to my favorite Webb family! Miss you Jud and Tash! 

Got a chance to say goodbye to the sweet Bethany! Love these ladies!

Some amazing ladies in my life! So blessed to know you three! 

I've loved getting to know Jackie and being able to spend time with her! Thanks for everything, Jackie!

Saying goodbye to a great friend! Gonna miss you Jesse Tyler!

I've been so blessed to work in Student Life with the amazing Lori! Thanks for your love, encouragement, wisdom and everything else you bring, Lori! You're such a blessing in my life!

Just became friends with the beautiful Nicole, and wishing we had become friends earlier! It's been amazing to get to know you!

Saying goodbye to these two sweethearts! 

The amazing Anna Frandsen! Such a blessing to work with and be friends with this amazing woman of God! 

Goodbye, Simpson University, until next time!

Saying goodbye to my best friend. Oh Sarah, how I'm going to miss being roommates with you and getting to see you each and every day and talk about everything happening in our lives!

I had so many more goodbyes, and these were just to capture a few! I spent the last two weeks spending as much time with every person I could before I had to leave the beautiful state of California! So thankful to know how many people love and care about me! I'm missing so many people from California!

The Journey to Arkansas

On the road bright and early!

So much yellow on our way to Southern California

Nap number 1 for Mom ;) 

More yellow hills

We made it to Arizona!

And that definitely means more napping for Mom

The Arizona Desert

And yet another nap for Mom ;) 

Got to stay with my best friend, Beth for the night! So glad I got the chance to see her for a bit!

Had breakfast with my great Aunt Char and her daughter (who is clearly missing from the picture). Mom hadn't seen my Aunt Char in over 3 years, and hadn't seen her cousin in about 10! Such a fun morning!

Okay, Arizona, I'll make sure to only go seventeen MPH through the parking lot...not a mile slower, and not a mile faster!

Road maps

Arizona, the land of cacti

Arizona, the land of cacti

And we made it to New Mexico - the Land of Enchantment

Some New Mexico scenery 

Some New Mexico scenery

Stopped at Cracker Barrel for dinner!

Cracker Barrel

More New Mexico scenery - some beautiful places!

We accidentally stumbled upon Historic Route 66

 We accidentally stumbled upon Historic Route 66

So of course we had to stop to write some postcards!

Just some more driving...Day 2

On day 3, we were in 4 states - started in New Mexico, made it to Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas! Wow!

Finally some greenery in Texas, and of course, cows!

Made it to Oklahoma! Getting close!

Continuing East

Some of the beautiful greenery of Oklahoma

Beautiful lands

Beautiful lands

And WE MADE IT! Welcome to Arkansas!

Welcome to the natural state!

Arkansas sure did welcome us with a beautiful sunset!

 My first day at James+James, complete with a ride in the Jurassic Park Jeep!

Meet Paisley, my first friend in Arkansas! :) Such a sweet girl!

Enjoying an evening ride in the Jurassic Park Jeep with this gang

Welcome home! My new apartment (more pictures to come in the next blog post)

When you have no furniture, you might as well have a candle to make it feel like home

Just enjoying my new job on a rainy Sunday!

When I miss California, I can always remember it with this sweet gift from my second Mama! 

Driving a UHaul truck to move some furniture

Rented my first UHaul truck

My first furniture purchase!

Scored this beautiful chair and ottoman at Goodwill for $10!

And just like that, my stuff is being shipped from Cali to Arkansas!

All loaded up in the trailer, ready to drive half way across the country to me!

Attempted to make some chocolate chip cookies for my new neighbors and coworkers, but proceeded to burn all 60+ cookies! Not going to impress them with my baking skills, I guess!

My burnt cookies! :( 

Got my storage shelves installed above the washer and dryer

Lots of love from my dear family and friends on my refrigerator! So blessed!

Thank you everyone, for the love and support you've sent me with! I'm so blessed to know that I have so many people cheering me on! Love you all, and miss you lots! 

Love, Lauren